Monthly Archives: March 2014

Some of the Best Foods For You

Passion

We are all faced with daily decisions on what foods we should eat.  It is important to know the benefits and consequences of eating certain foods.  But what really are the best foods out there with the greatest benefits?

Sweet potatoes. These vegetables are loaded with carotenoids.  They also offer a lower carbohydrate alternative to the yellow potato.  Sweet potatoes offer an excellent source of Vitamin C and are a common ingredient in healthy foods such as sweet potato pancakes.

Mangoes.  These delicious tropical fruits offer a delicious source of energy and nutrition.  In fact, one cup of mango offers 100% of a daily requirement of Vitamin C and a large amount of Vitamin A.  One of the greatest things about mangoes is that they are unlikely to contain large traces of pesticides.

Greek yogurt.  Get plain if you can.  Plain Greek yogurt offers an excellent source of protein and calcium, with zero fat and zero sugar.  Each serving of Greek yogurt is guaranteed to fill you up and leave you a healthier person.

Broccoli. I know you hate it.  But eat it anyway.   Broccoli is loaded with Vitamin C and Vitamin K.  It also is loaded with a rare nutrient known as folic acid.

Salmon.  Another great  source of protein, salmon is a low fat and delicious alternative to traditional meats.  Salmon also offers omega-3 fatty acids.  If you consume wild salmon, it contains low levels of PCB which is also better for your health.

Watermelon. A delicious source of nutrients and hydration, watermelon is a fundamental food to include in anyone’s diet.  Watermelon contains large quantities of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, making it a great fruit to add to you fruit salad or enjoy on a hot summer day.

 

Class Work

General education is an important concept to bridge the gap between high school and college education.  It is required to facilitate learning in an array of different topics.  Also, general education courses are designed to induce interest in specific fields for students who are unsure of their future career path.  Having a theme for all general education courses is an option that requires consideration. I believe that it is important for students to have a say in what sort of topics that their general education focuses on.  However, if general education classes are too challenging, they will not offer as much of a positive and beneficial experience.

Paper 3: Rebuttal (Rough Draft)

Work In Progress

Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report utilizes satire, one of the most effective methods of persuasion, to discredit conservative opinions.  By using techniques outlined in Thank You for Arguing, Colbert provides a unique perspective on controversial political issues.  He reveals his disagreements with conservative ideas through satirical explanations, using humor as a means to deliver his opinions.  Through a range of techniques, including American commonplaces, fallacies, and other satirical tools, Colbert discredits and censures conservative opinions.

In order to effectively satirize conservative ideas, Colbert often addresses issues and events that the conservative party expresses strong opinions about.  One particular episode, titled Simon Schama, begins with Colbert describing marijuana.  He mentions that everyone who smokes marijuana dies, proving its true danger.  This statement utilizes the wrong ending tool.  This logical fallacy alludes that smoking marijuana kills people, when in reality, everyone ultimately dies regardlessly of marijuana usage.  Colbert then invents the word “Potsylvania” to describe colorado now that marijuana is legalized.   He also described the people who have created businesses in the Colorado marijuana industry as “ganjapreneurs”.  This fictitious word, though not supported by an established definition, offers a message understood through the combination of the meanings of the two words it combines.

Colbert utilizes the identity strategy to further his satire of Colorado’s marijuana situation.  He says, “Here’s how you spot people who have been on the marijuana ski bus: they’re the ones snowboarding”.  This generalization associates snowboarders with marijuana.  The Colbert Report continues by establishing that smoking marijuana is a commonplace of Colorado.  Colbert then uses the tool of editing out loud to correct himself by saying “… pot use is booming in colorado, actually everywhere”  He speaks louder when saying “everywhere” to further the effect of his satire, using the turn the volume up technique outlined by Thank You for Arguing.  While many conservative figures express that marijuana has become a major problem in Colorado ever since its legalization, Colbert discredits this opinion through his use of satire.

For the next segment of the show, Stephen Colbert changes the subject to Obama.  He plays Fox News videos and satirically analyzes them.  In the first video, Fox News mentions that Obama is pushing for salaried workers to become eligible for more overtime pay, bypassing Congress’s decision.  Colbert then sarcastically states that Obama is killing America with this legislature, which mocks Fox New’s overreaction.  Colbert also sarcastically refers to Obama as “Emperor Obama”.  The word “emperor” has a tyrantic vibe that Colbert utilizes as a blatant fallacy.  Stephen Colbert shifts the blame upon congress by saying “Congress does not support these new overtime rules.  But why should they? They don’t work overtime, or time at all”.  This intentional red herring changes the blame from directed toward Obama to Congress.

For the next segment, Stephen Colbert begins to discuss the Conservative Party’s criticism of Obama about the lack of people who signed up for Obamacare.  Colbert says, “No one has signed up for Obamacare, give or take 4.2 million people,”  The second part of the sentence provides a surprise ending to expose the truth that contrasts the conservative criticism.  Stephen Colbert then mentioned that Obama was so desperate to alert people about signing up for Obamacare that he appeared on a show called “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis”.  Colbert then stated that this immature behavior of the president “started a firestorm everywhere, from Fox News, to later in the day on Fox News”.  This surprise ending persuasive technique emphasizes that Fox News is essentially the only group that found President Obama’s behavior inappropriate.  Colbert later played a video clip of Bill O’Reilly claiming that Abraham Lincoln would never have appeared on a show like “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis”.  In response, Colbert raised his volume and stated, “It’s true, Abe Lincoln would never have done a viral web video”.

(Conclusion)

p 218, 180, 228, 162

A Fishy Solution

Passion

Doctors and researchers speculate that taking a daily dietary supplement known as fish oil can have profoundly beneficial effects on one’s health.  Studies suggest that fish oil not only can improve one’s physical health, but also one’s mental health.  This cheap (as inexpensive as $0.07 per pill) supplement can be taken much like a multivitamin – one pill per day – with 3 or 4 grams of fish oil per pill.

One of the most prominent effects of fish oil on human bodily functions is its effect on protein.  Consuming fish oil daily is linked to increased rates of protein synthesis, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular problems and facilitates muscle growth.  This is due to two omega-3’s present in fish oil: DHA and EPA.  Furthermore, fish oil supplementation can  decrease the rate that the body breaks down protein.

The omega-3’s found in fish oil also are proven to increase one’s metabolic rate.  An increased metabolic rate essentially means that one burns more energy naturally, which can assist weight loss.  Fish oil also changes the cellular membrane compositions, improving nutrient delivery to cells.  This can lead to an overall healthier human body.

Consuming fish oil supplements daily can improve brain health by further developing the brain and coordination, as well as improving one’s overall mood.  Mothers who consume fish oil regularly while pregnant  typically have children with improved hand and eye coordination.

So, can’t you get fish oil naturally from simply eating fish instead of supplementing with pills?
Yes and no.  Fish oil is found naturally in fish livers.  However, one would have to consume a large amount of fish to get enough oil to fully benefit.  Such a large amount of fish would result in dangerous levels of mercury.  But not to worry; supplementing with fish oil pills is cheap and effective.  So what are you waiting for?

Paper 3: Idea/Outline

Work In Progress

For paper 3, I will write option 3: a rhetorically analysis of a satiric work.  I will analyze an episode of the Colbert Report through then lens principles outlined in Thank You For Arguing.  I have not yet decided on a specific Colbert Report episode to analyze, but I will include the following in my analysis:

  1. Introduce the premise of the report, including the topic and the opinion that Steven Colbert is attempting to persuade the audience to agree with.
  2. Talk about the false comparison that the Colbert uses, including natural fallacies, false analogies, and unit fallacies.
  3. Mention the bad examples and hasty generalizations present in the report.  Identify the goal of these fallacies.
  4. Identify usage of false choice present in the Colbert Report episode.
  5. Draw upon instances of innuendo, humiliation, and nasty language used to satirically deliver a specific message
  6. Conclude by summarizing previous points.

March 7 Satire Assignment

Class Work

1.) Marijuana Legalization (The Daily Show)

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/fri-february-28-2014-

In this episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart uses satire to address the issue of marijuana legalization.  He starts off by analyzing a news report about Colorado legalizing recreational marijuana.  Stewart talks about the “new pot industry” of Colorado, implying that it is a fallacy that marijuana is new to Colorado.  He then sarcastically mentions the “strict purchasing qualifications”, including: purchasers must be at least 21, pot shops cannot open until 8:00 AM and must close by midnight.  The sarcasm in his voice indicates that it is actually quite simple to obtain marijuana.  He further compares Colorado sarcastically to the “wild west” to introduce the fallacy that marijuana can cause aggressive, criminal, and uncivil behavior.  Stewart then asks the rhetorical question “So what are the restrictions of how much marijuana one can possess?”,  then plays a clip from a government official stating that one can possess no more than one ounce.  The camera returns to Stewart with a smirk on his face.  He says, “So no restrictions”.   Stewart satirically attacks the conservative view by playing a clip of Bill O’Reilly (conservative ethos) saying that smoking marijuana is “literally like playing Russian Roulette”.  Stewart reiterates the false nature of this statement by repeating it in a mocking tone.

2.) Drones (The Daily Show)

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/fri-february-21-2014-

In this episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart uses satire to address the issue of drone usage.  He starts off the episode by sarcastically stating that the drones are greatly successful in assassinating leading members of Al Qaeda.  He then mentions that though sometimes the drone assassinations do not work out perfectly and they end up shooting innocent citizens.  Stewart then makes fun of the unclear logos followed by the government in determining when drones can be used.  He plays a clip of a government official stating, “drones are only to be used in cases of imminent threat”.  This outlines the fallacy that the justice department is entirely lawful and follows judicial procedures when conducting missions.  Stewart then attacks the ethos of Vice President Joe Biden by playing a clip of Biden saying, “…ain’t constitutional” in a foolish way.  Stewart later talks about the unconstitutionality of using drones for other purposes, such as spying on farmers for environmental purposes.

3.)  Malaysia Missing Airplane (The Onion)

http://www.theonion.com/articles/malaysian-airlines-expands-investigation-to-includ,35524/

This article, posted on The Onion, offers a satirical approach to the missing Malaysian airplane.  The main purpose of this article is to address the failure of the people searching for the plane to narrow down the realm of possibilities of what could have happened to it.  The article satirically states that not only has the range of possibilities expanded to a mechanical failure, pilot error, terrorist activity, hijacking, but also, “the overarching scope of space, time, and humankind’s place in the universe”.  The article also calls upon sarcastic logos, mentioning that the plane could be anywhere in the several hundred square miles of the Indian Ocean, or it could be in each of the 7 to 22 additional spatial dimensions of the universe.  This satirical approach renders the search efforts as pathetically inconclusive.  In fact, instead of narrowing the possibilities, as time goes on, search efforts are broadening the possibilities of what was the actual fate of Flight 370.  The article concludes with a satirical remark regarding the ethos of the Malaysia Airlines, “Our top people are  on it right now.”

How Much Protein Do You Really Need?

Passion

Protein is an essential part of everyone’s diet.  It helps build, maintain, and repair muscle tissue, as well as preform many essential functions within the body.  However, required protein intake varies greatly from person to person.  Individuals with small body frames who exercise scarcely require just a fraction of the protein that large and active people require.   That being said, most people require at least 50 grams of protein per day for basic body and muscle maintenance.

After working out, people often immediately down a shake with multiple scoops of whey protein powder (often upwards of 50 grams of protein), thinking the more protein the better.  This is not necessarily the case.  Studies have shown that even after a strenuous workout, the body can only benefit from up to 20-25 grams of protein at a time.  The excess protein that most people consume after going to the gym reaps a negligible benefits.

Another misconception is that if you are attempting to build muscle or strength, you need protein powder.  This is a false claim.  Sure, protein powder is a convenient source of protein in a pinch, but there are plenty of other protein-dense alternatives.  Take milk, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and almonds for example.  Each of these foods, as well as many more, have upwards of 6 grams of protein per serving.  They are also packed with other nutrients that help the body repair muscle tissue.

Studies have suggested that nutrition is actually more important that sheer protein intake when it comes to muscle growth.  This is because the body responds best to muscle repair when in an ideal, nutrient-rich environment.  Instead of downing 50 grams of protein in a shake right after a workout, try focusing on the types of foods you eat throughout the day an try to incorporate high-protein, natural foods as your primary source of protein.

Letter of Introduction (Draft)

Work In Progress

Writing two rhetorical analysis  papers has taught me about the powerful the art of persuasion.  The first paper is a rhetorical analysis of an advertisement.  I chose to investigate the persuasion implementations of Coca-Cola’s website.  Coca-Cola, a leading beverage company, has experienced such worldwide success, in part, due to their effective advertising.  The Coca-Cola website showcases their manipulative visuals and phrases.  Appealing to ethos, logos, and pathos, Coca-Cola attracts customers using advertising techniques that appeal to typical Americans.  Through dissecting Coca-Cola’s adverting scheme, I’ve learned to appreciate the in-depth persuasive techniques that professional advertisers have mastered.

For the news report analysis, I chose to analyse a news article about a delayed US agreement with Afghanistan, published by Fox News.  Displaying a biased opinion against the democratic party, Fox uses careful diction, connotation, and style to scold the Obama administration.  While conducting this analysis, I learned realized that an author’s perspective can drastically influence the message that is delivered.  To revise my analysis after my first draft, I made my first paragraph more concise and reconstructed my topic sentences to serve as transitional statements leading into the next paragraph.